Saturday, 18 February 2012

Jamie’s Italian, Manchester

On Valentine’s Day I got the chance for
a sneak preview of Jamie Oliver’s new Italian on King Street, Manchester (see here).
After having a good look around, I fell in love with the place but as they say,
‘The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.’

So for the love to last, the food
had to match the impressive surroundings. Today I got the opportunity to taste
that food at one of their ‘soft openings’ before the official opening on Monday
20th February. The result? I’m smitten!

I feel it’s right and proper to
point out that my wife and I were dining out as guests of Jamie’s restaurant
publicist but our ‘VIP’ status and the fact that the meal was ‘complimentary’
has not swayed my opinions.

As we arrived all seemed to be
running smoothly (although, no doubt, there was some duck action going on, with
their little legs paddling furiously beneath the surface). All staff were well
trained – the service from our knowledgeable waitress, Rhianna, was faultless
as she was clearly well versed in all of
the dishes.

Of course as a ‘soft’ opening, it
could rightly be argued that we did not experience a typical service; although,
the restaurant was fully operational, serving a full house from the full menu.

Going into the Naked Chef’s ‘naked
restaurant’ earlier in the week, it had seemed a little like the Mary Celeste and
I was keen to see it dressed with diners. As it started to fill up, good vibes
were palpable from the clatter at the open kitchen, clinking of glasses and
chatter from contented customers.

To start my wife and I decided to
share an antipasti ‘plank’, starring the seasonal charcuterie for £6.85 a head
(we ordered one head’s worth); a selection of Italian breads and some of ‘The
World’s Best Olives’.

Antipasti Meat Plank

Charcuterie always tastes better
when served on a plank and the meats were all good quality. Featuring: Tuscan
fennel salami, Schiacciata picante, pistachio mortadella and my favourite, the
San Daniele prosciutto.

Also on the platter: fresh buffalo
mozzarella; pecorino topped with chilli jam; a green chilli; a plump caper berry; a gorgeous Gaeta black olive and a ‘Nocellara del Belice
Castelvetrano DOC olive’ or as Jamie calls it, the ‘World’s Best Olive’.

World's Best Olives On Ice

Thankfully, after getting a taste on
the antipasti platter we had also ordered a serving of the ‘World’s Best Olives, served
on Ice’ for £3.75 - I wouldn’t know if they are actually the world’s best but
I’d certainly enjoy trying to find some better as these were certainly
something special. The accompanying black olive tapenade containing sundried
tomato was absolutely delicious - I can see myself ordering these every time we visit.

Italian Bread Selection £3.75

Feeling I should select something
especially Italian I decided to choose two small pasta plates instead of one
main dish.

Wild Truffle Risotto

The ‘Wild Truffle Risotto’ for £6.75
sounded perfect – what could be better than a risotto made with butter, Parmesan
and Acquerello (the King of Carnaroli) rice, topped with finely minced and
sliced heady black truffle?

Wild Mushroom Panzerotti

My other main choice was the ‘Wild
Mushroom Panzerotti’ for £6.55. Half-moons of pasta filled with brown cap and
porcini mushrooms topped with chilli, thyme, ricotta and Parmesan – tasty but
not set to become as firm a favourite as the risotto.

Cockles Linguine

My wife selected a small pasta
plate, the ‘Cockles Linguine’ for £8.20. Most of other Jamie’s Italian restaurants serve ‘Linguini
Vongole’ or ‘clam linguine’ but it’s good to see that they are making use of
the North West’s excellent cockles (if you are thinking they are one and the
same, simply put - all cockles are clams but not all clams are cockles). Steamed
with with garlic, chilli and white wine and tossed with butter and lemon the
sauce was deliciously winey.

'Famous Polenta Chips' and 'Posh Chips'

Sharing portions of Jamie’s ‘Famous Polenta Chips’ for £3.45 and ‘Posh Chips’ for £3.25, it was tough to decide which were
better. First, I tasted the perfectly cooked posh chips with their truffle
oiled goodness and Parmesan punch; then a polenta chip with its Parmesan and rosemary
– both were exceptional; I kept going from one to another and before I knew it
they had inextricably all gone leaving me unable to come to a decision. Only one thing for
it, I’ll have to go back, order them both again and try once more to decide.

Gorgonzola Winter Salad

Finishing our sides, a ‘Gorgonzola
Winter Salad’ dressed with walnuts, pear and sticky balsamic for £3.75 – my
wife loved this. I was unsure; strangely, I tasted a hint of chocolate. We both
agreed that the ‘Buttered Sliced Brussels’ with garlic, chilli and capers for £3.60
was excellent.

Buttered Sliced Brussels

For her dessert, my wife chose the
creamy, wobbly ‘Panna cotta’ for £4.95 served making the most of great seasonal
produce with a “tart” rhubarb compote.

Panna cotta

For my dessert I selected an ‘Amalfi
Lemon Curd Slice’ for £4.95, an unusual choice for me but one which I was very
happy with. Smooth, lemony curd, soft buttery base, toasted pistachios and tartly
sweet crushed berries – vibrant and wonderfully fresh, it marked a fitting end
to an excellent meal.

Amalfi Lemon Curd Slice

What better way to end an Italian
meal than with a glass of the ‘wine of friendship’ Vin Santo? (Tegrino Tuscany,
2005 Cantine Leonardo £4.99 for 70ml) –
personally, I’d have liked a cantucci to dip, but then I am just greedy!

I said at the start, ‘The way to a
man's heart is through his stomach.’ Jamie’s Italian has certainly won the
hearts (and the stomachs) of my wife and me.

Of course, at the moment, everyone involved is geared up to impress. It will be interesting to observe how well they maintain these standards over time. In the name if research, I'll have to keep going back to check.